Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

The Athens Christmas parade will be held this Thursday night, and it will be impossible to get through downtown. Plan your travel accordingly! We do not open until 4:30, but we will start filling orders earlier if the growers have all arrived and unloaded on time. If you’re coming late in the evening, be sure to give downtown a wide berth!

This is the time for holiday artisan markets, and you can find something going on pretty much every day for the next three weeks. The Indie South fair happened this weekend, and I strolled through the booths for several lovely hours both days, getting ideas for people on my list. I like to highlight some of my favorite markets here in our newsletter and on our Facebook page, because there are just too many to list all of them. However, the Flagpole has done a great job assembling them all into a nice descriptive list. They’ve got an online version here if you didn’t pick up the paper copy: https://flagpole.com/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/2018/11/28/flagpole-s-holiday-market-roundup.

Looking ahead on the calendar, I expect ALG to remain open the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s. Some of our growers might take time off, but we’ll be here to serve those with items to sell and you who wish to buy them.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

Most other area markets are starting to close down for the season or move to winter hours. The Athens Farmers Market is still open on Saturdays at Bishop Park. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market is up and running, Saturdays from 9am to 1pm, and you can find out more here: http://www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running on winter hours now on Saturdays from 1-4pm. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Hello again! I hope you all had a pleasant week, able to spend time with loved ones and having time to reflect on the things to be thankful for (even while fretting over the many things out there to fret over).

This is the time for holiday artisan markets, and it seems like each year there are more than ever in Athens. I know many of you either sell or shop at these markets, so please let me know if you know of any you want me to mention particularly. I’ll spread the word when I hear of more as they happen via our Twitter and Facebook feeds. If you don’t already follow them, you can find the addresses right above. One of the largest artisan markets is this coming weekend, run by Indie South over on Chase Street, and it’s their eleventh anniversary of holding this market. You can learn more on their Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/269386963811002/. Also Saturday, The Hip Holiday Market at HIP Vintage & Handmade (the current venture from long-time ALG grower Leslie Lawson) will be going on off Atlanta Highway. You can learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/655003254871161/. Perhaps the longest-running market is the Athens Holiday Market at Big City Bread, on December 13 & 14. Their FB page is at https://www.facebook.com/athensholidaymarket/. You’ve already demonstrated your commitment to buy some of your food from local farmers. Giving gifts made from local artisans is just as important, and can be even more rewarding!

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Our Athens-area growers had so far avoided the first frost, but last night was right at freezing. It had looked like this week we’d see a couple nights down in the 20s, but the latest forecasts have it safely in the upper 30s. Even if it does freeze, though,our growers with hoop houses are starting to harvest out of them. You’ll even find fresh green beans this week, just in time for Thanksgiving!

I don’t have any Thanksgiving turkeys for you, but Back In Time Farms is back with plenty of Certified Naturally Grown chicken, if you’re looking for poultry. Some of you have already noticed that Doug’s Wild Salmon is back from Alaska with a fresh load of salmon and halibut, and we’ve got that too.

Finally, here’s a reminder that we’ll be taking next week, the week of Thanksgiving off, as we do every year. We will be open as usual this week, so if there are things you’d like for your Thanksgiving meals, you’ll need to plan ahead and order them early. If you need local produce next week, Collective Harvest CSA is doing a special pre-order market (much like ALG) with a Wednesday morning pickup at their Broad Street office. You can find info here: http://www.collectiveharvestathens.com/thanksgiving-pre-order-market.html. The last several years, Heirloom Cafe has held a mini farmers market in their parking lot on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I haven’t heard if that tradition will continue this year, but I’ll let you know if I hear that it is. Meanwhile, stock up from us this week!

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful week, just the sort that the cool weather leafy greens love. I’ve fallen behind on my garden plans, but it’s not too late to get some seedlings in the ground for eating all through the winter. This coming weekend, for sure!

ALG operates year-round, even after all of the other area markets close, but there is one week we take off every year: the week of Thanksgiving. We will be open as usual the rest of November, so if there are things you’d like for your Thanksgiving meals, you’ll need to plan ahead and order them early. Naturally, I’ve get asked if I know of any local growers with turkeys available. We have in years past had ALG growers raising turkeys, but most everyone has stopped trying. Domestic turkeys, even heritage breeds, have a really hard time with the heat and humidities of our summers, and so take an enormous amount of labor to raise well. As the holiday gets closer, I may get a few leads on a handful of locally raised heritage turkeys, and if so, I’ll share them with you.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

I don’t have anything newsworthy for you this week, except for a commemoration that it’s been exactly nine years since we moved our Thursday pickups to Ben’s Bikes. We’ve very grateful for all their support over the years, and I’m glad we found a nice stable home for this long. Thank you to all the wonderful folks there!

This coming Friday night, the Athens Area Homeless Shelter is hosting their annual Harvest fund raising event. I think everyone knows the homelessness remains a severe problem, both as a society and as a community. The AAHS plays a key role in helping women and children here in Athens, and every dollar gets put to good use. A ticket to the event gets you an evening of live music, wine+beer+cocktails, delicious food, and a silent auction full of donations from many of your favorite local business, artists, and even some ALG growers. You can find more information here: https://www.helpathenshomeless.org/harvest-for-the-homeless

And thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Some of our northern growers are going to get their first frost this week. Even here in Athens the temperatures are forecast to fall into the 30s tonight, and I was caught by surprise earlier today when my phone buzzed me about a frost advisory for us.. A number of our growers have greenhouses and high tunnels that will let them extend the season, some all winter long, but for much of the gardens that supply our area markets, the summer produce are on their very last legs and the cool weather crops will take over.

Fall seems to be the traditional time for wanting to go visit a farm, maybe to pick apples or to find a good pumpkin, or to get lost in a corn maze. It’s true that most if not all of the agro-tourism spots nearby are conventional farms, but don’t let that stop you from paying them a visit, especially if you have children (or can borrow some for the day). So many kids think that their food supply begins at the grocery store, and farms are just something that they read about in picture books. Take them out and show them that farms are real things, that they’re worth visiting, and that they are near where they live. Farms shouldn’t be exotic places, relegated to storyland places like “The Dell” and “California”.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

We dodged a bullet last week when Michael came roaring through. Aside from minor wind damage here and there, our growers came out pretty well after the storm. It wouldn’t have taken much of a change to bring the heart of the storm right through here instead of racing across mid-Georgia, where it ripped up cotton fields, peanut farms, poultry farms, pecan orchards, and many small towns along the way.

Fall weather does seem to have taken hold, though, and while that means many of our summer crops will soon be saying their goodbyes (though not all, thanks to the many greenhouses our growers use) it also means the autumn crops are in their element. We should be awash in leafy greens real soon, and I love that.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

Some of you have already taken advantage of the many seedlings available for your fall gardens. I always say the fall is my favorite time to garden in Athens, even though many people shut their gardens down as the first frost approaches. It still feels like summer outside, but this coming weekend I’d like to get in there and start planting broccoli, collards, cabbage, kohlrabi, kale, Brussels sprouts, and more. There are fifty-nine varieties of veggie and herb seedlings listed this week and I expect more to arrive in the coming weeks. Usually we’ve got a better selection than you can find at most garden centers this time of year.

Tomorrow’s holiday always sparks discussions of indigenous peoples and colonization. I’d like to plant an idea with you: think about all of the wonderful indigenous foods of North America, many of which have fallen into obscurity. See if you can find some to add to your diet this fall, even if it’s just to try something new for one single meal. Native plants are almost always a better choice to grow than species and varieties not adapted to our environment, but growers won’t plant them if there’s not a demand. Here’s one interesting list to get you started, and you’ll recognize some of them from the ALG listings throughout the year: 20 Native North American Foods with Stories to Tell.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market runs Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!

Athens Locally Grown

How to contact us:
Our Website: athens.locallygrown.net
On Twitter: @athlocallygrown
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/athenslocallygrown
On Thursdays: Here’s a map.

Market News

October already? Looks like a beautiful week ahead of us, just right for both the summer veggies hanging on in the garden and the fall crops coming in. Hopefully we can get more like this right on to frost!

Here’s something I haven’t talked about in a while… despite all of our best efforts, sometimes the things you order don’t make it into your baskets come Thursday. The growers try their best, but sometimes they aren’t able to fill orders for a variety of reasons. They almost always go into the system and remove the items they can’t fill by 2pm on Thursday, so by then you should be able to look at your order on the website and get a reasonable expectation of what we’ll have ready for you when you arrive. Even then, though, things can go wrong. A grower can leave a box at home, sitting on their kitchen counter, and when we go to fill your order, an item might be missing. We mark those items off on the spot, using our little hand-held devices, and try to tell you when we hand you your items. And sometimes, we mess up ourselves filling your orders and think we put everything in your box only to find a bag with your name on it at the end of the night. In that case, we take it off your order and automatically issue a refund to your account if you paid in person when you picked things up.

The majority of you are pre-paying these days, though, using cards online. That’s great for everyone, as it really streamlines the process. It’s a bit of a misnomer, though, because even though you placed your order on Monday or Tuesday, I don’t actually run the cards until the end of the night on Thursday, after all the orders have been finalized. That way, you’re never charged for items the growers took off, or didn’t bring, or that we left out of your box. You can see exactly what you were charged for, and what the status was for every item on your order, by looking at your order history on the Your Account page. There, you can see a PDF invoice for every order you have ever placed at ALG, a line-by-line accounting for every item, and the total you were charged (or paid in person).

And if you ever have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask them of me. Just reply to any email the system sends you, and it’ll come right to me.

Thank you so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Other Area Farmers Markets

The Athens Farmers Market has returned to Saturday mornings at Bishop Park and Wednesday afternoons at Creature Comforts downtown. You can catch the news on their website. The West Broad Farmers Market has returned, and you can catch the details on their website here: www.athenslandtrust.org/west-broad-farmers-market/. The Comer Farmers’ Market is open on Saturday mornings from 9am to noon. Check www.facebook.com/comerfm for more information. Washington, GA also has a lovely little Saturday market, running Saturdays from 9 to noon. You can learn all about them here: www.washingtonfarmersmkt.com. Folks to the east can check out the Hartwell Farmers Market, which starts bright and early on Saturday morning from 7am to noon, and Tuesday afternoons from noon to 4pm. The city of Monroe has a downtown market on Saturdays, 8:30 to 12:30, and you can learn more here: www.monroedowntown.com/events/monroe-farmers-market. If you know of any other area markets operating, please let me know.

All of these other markets are separate from ALG (including the Athens Farmers Market) but many growers sell at multiple markets. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest, and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!